Only valid for active forum users. Active means at least 30 postings within the last 30 days (no spam postings). This will automatically being checked at www.starbike.com shopping basket so make sure that you are logged in at the WW board!If there does not appear a WW discount position when you check out you do not have enough postings!

Ok, I know a lot of you guys out there have some really nice high end carbon set ups that are down in the 9 lbs range. Nothing wrong with that at all. Hell, if I had the money, I would have one myself. Since that isn't the case I have to work with what I got, an 09 Bianchi Pinella. Yep STEEL. Nice steel mind you but still steel.

When I got my bike (used) it weighed in at 19.5 lbs. Today I weighed it at my local shop and was surprised to see it at 16 lbs 11 oz (7569.30 g). My goal was to hit 16 which I have and I actually still have a new bar, seat post, and skewers in the mail. I don't think that will get me down to 15 mind you but it will shed maybe another 100g or so if my calculations are correct. I'll post up some specs and pics later but in the mean time, I am curious what some of you guys have gotten your steel bikes down to. I know I have seen a few Master Lites on here w/ SR set ups. Sort of makes me wish I had never gotten rid of mine some 5 years ago. So post them up. I'd love to see what you guys have done and maybe get some more ideas of where I can go with mine.

I have a custom Reynolds 653 frame that I am rebuilding in the new year. I have had this frame over 20 years, originally had Shimano 105 with downtube shifters, a few years ago was upgraded to Dura Ace 7700

The plan is to have it professionally repainted - deciding between 2 well know bike paint specialists as I want if to be something really specialUpgrade to DA 7800 including DA pedals (Speedplays on my other bikes) - filtering down as my Parlee got new SRAM Red, old red onto my training bike and now 7800 onto my steel bike. Part of the upgrade will be Chris King BB and headset and King stainless bottle cages. To standardise saddles I am going with a San Marco Regal as I have the carbon Regale on my other bikes.And to top off the build a new set of wheels - Ambrosio Nemesis tubulars on Chris King hubs.

The crazy thing is the rebuild will cost more than an entry level carbon race bike or CAAD 10 in parts and paint, but the finished product should be around for another 20 years of light use.I will start a thread for this when I get started, I just need to finish the rebuild of my training bike and move house before I kick off on this project.

The show spec is 4690g, but I would swap a few things out (like the track tubbies) for heavier-duty parts when I ride it, taking it to just under 5kg in total (On the road).

If you did without the couplings and you were a very lightweight rider, you might knock 200g off the frameset weight, and I reckon you could lose another 200g or so off the component spec. The extra weight loss would cost an inordinate amount of money, and I've run out of budget completely for the time being, so it won't be me setting any newer records!

Chas is a master builder - been in the business with his father for 50 years, on his own for almost 40. Builds very simple, very beautiful, comfortable and functional custom steel bicycles (of every stripe); took some doing to get him to build this one for me (but then I already had several of his frames by then!).

The beauty of steel is that, once you find the right frame spec, the frameset is for life - it can be fixed, resprayed, rebuilt...

Forgot to mention the frame weight on its own. The frame with the ISP was 1302g painted so for a steel bike it was pretty light and could have been lighter and closer to 1240g if we did not do a few things but still ISP. Could realy have dropped it under 1200g if I went without the ISP.

Here's mine. Note that I failed to bring it to below 6800g (swap my 912 gr RZR for the RZR Team and gained 300gr instead )if I'm not mistaken the weight is north of 6900gr with the LW Std Gen3.Weightweenie components in no particular order. AX Orions with stock LW/Swisstop padsBerk Combo, in 27.2mm and 75 deg seat angle, 25mm offsetExtralite OC Stem in 110mm

xnavalav8r, wow, Sweet Wings! You don't see a lot of those any more. I suspect yours are holding up pretty well to have been around this long.

Well here are some pictures of what I'm working with. One of them is pretty much how it looked when I got it and the others are what it looks like right now. I have swapped out quite a few parts on this thing since picking it up in late July. A lot of it was to make it fit me better and of course shed some weight in the process. As mentioned earlier, started at about 19.5 and am now at 16 lbs 11 oz w/ more to do.

I have not really started tuning the bike as of yet. Since owning it (bought back in late July) I have pretty much been spending my time picking up parts that make it fit me better and of course buying replacement parts that were lighter than what was coming off. It has a long way to go really but building it up and tuning everything is the fun part, next to riding it of course.